MUKASEY: A MAN AND HIS MISSION

(Associated Press) Following his swearing-in on Saturday as the nation's newest Attorney General, Michael Mukasey showed that he is indeed prepared to take a firm, public stand on controversial issues. Although he still refuses to declare "waterboarding" illegal, Mukasey asserted that "skateboarding on downtown sidewalks is a crime of the highest magnitude. I will prosecute offenders to the full extent of the law and, if necessary, beyond the full extent of the law. I won't hesitate to use waterboarding techniques to punish these young punks. Don't try to stop me. Skateboarders are the types of kids who used to torture and make fun of me when I was a teenager, and as God is my witness, they will suffer now. They will suffer profoundly, I swear to you, and they will suffer for a long, long time."